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Archives for January 2018

Finding Soul Food

I have taken advantage of the break over the holidays to get back into the kitchen, and I have to say that it feels good. Cooking and all things food make me so much more…me.

The first thing I did was create a Christmas gift for D1 and SIL1. As newlyweds with fulltime jobs they have found it difficult, as many of us do, to come home after work and cook dinner. I created a cookbook of freezer to slow cooker meals. I also created 3 weeks of already prepared meals for them. They appreciated and enjoyed having ready-made meals that they could pull out of the freezer and have ready to eat when they got home from work. They enjoyed the ease of it so much that they have done some for themselves.

With such a short amount of time between my last work day and Christmas the only thing I had time for before Christmas Eve were the meals for D1.

I was glad to be done with those in time to make a light meal for Christmas Eve which included a tasty cheese board.

For Christmas day I always do brunch for the family (The hubs and our girls) before heading to my mom’s house for our traditional Christmas pizza. This year’s brunch was homemade cinnamon rolls and fresh fruit. Oh, and Mimosas. Almost every brunch with D1 and D2 include Mimosas. Mmmmmimosas!

To finish the Christmas trifecta (we always celebrate Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and St. Stephen’s Day aka Boxing Day) I created a feast of St. Stephen. The menu consisted of a cheese board as a starter, smoked turkey breast, baked ham, mashed potatoes, and roasted root vegetables. The cheese board and smoked turkey breast (smoked by the Hubs) took the spotlight.

Nothing that was cooked or created over the holiday was new (except my first 2 (successful) cheese boards) for me to make or for the family to eat. Getting back to basics over the Christmas holiday was amazing. It rekindled my passion, reignited my soul, and reminded me of the importance of food and family. To quote D4 “The secret ingredient is Mom’s love”.

“After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relatives” ~ Oscar Wilde